A Sociopolitical Perspective on the Illegal Take of Wildlife in the Southeastern, USA

Abstract

Illegal take of wildlife is a complex and growing phenomenon, influenced by various factors. Scholars have paid limited attention to structural influences, however. We examine the structural processes that influence illegal take behavior in rural areas of the southeastern USA. Engaging historical and contemporary qualitative data from the region, we first identify that struggles between a rural hunting sub-culture and outsiders over the meaning and governance of humanwildlife interactions in rural areas emerged from several sociopolitical shifts. We then associate illegal take behavior performed by the rural hunting sub-culture with a radicalization framework consisting of injustice, vulnerability, superiority, and distrust. Regulators should not be surprised by the occurrence of illegal take behavior because sociopolitical factors contributed to delegitimization of wildlife law among the sub-culture. Engaging sub-culture gatekeepers in ways that limit exclusionary wildlife governance and imposition of external values may moderate negative outcomes caused by major sociopolitical shifts.

Private Protection Initiatives in Mountain Areas of Southern Chile and Their Perceived Impact on Local Development—The Case of Pumalín Park

“…According to [20,21] activities such as ecotourism allow economic value to be assigned to natural resources, helping reduce social inequality; [11,21] added that these activities lead to economic transformations at the local level. However, [22] mentioned that there is a lack of literature exploring the social impact of private protected areas, and how they vary according to the different types of ownership of PPAs, especially in ecotourism and their relationship with human well-being. According to [23] little attention has been drawn to the function of PPAs in the promotion of sustainable development, particularly in the context of the debate around the relationship between people and protected areas.…”

Routine Activity Theory and Farm Equipment Theft: A Macro-Level Approach

“…Recent decades have featured increased attention to offending in rural communities, as researchers have sought to explore forms (e.g., moonshine production, poaching, timber theft) that are unique to the rural environment (see Green, 2011;Green, 2016;Mortimer et al, 2005;Serenari & Peterson, 2016 for examples). One such example, the theft of farm equipment, has been the focus of several empirical studies to date, as we have sought to develop an understanding of its prevalence and the factors that serve to influence risk of victimization (Barclay & Donnermeyer, 2011;McIntyre et al, 2017).…”

<b>Mapping the conflict of raptor conservation and recreational shooting in the Batumi Bottleneck, Republic of Georgia</b>

“…Illegal exploitation of natural resources is an increasing global problem that threatens biodiversity (Gavin et al 2010;Solomon et al 2015) and leads to conservation conflicts between people and wildlife (human-wildlife conflict; HWC) (Woodroffe et al 2005), or between groups of people who associate different values with the resource in question (human-human conflict; HHC) (Redpath et al 2013). These values range on a broad scale including utilitarian to intrinsic and aesthetic (Kellert 1993), and are determined by a wide range of cultural, social, and political factors (Tajfel 1981;Eliason 1999;McGregor 2005;Serenari & Peterson 2016). People's behaviour towards wildlife and institutions responsible for conservation are largely guided by these values (Manfredo 2008;Anthony et al 2010;Dickman et al 2013), therefore, HHCs are best managed through a shared understanding of the broader context of the situation, often necessitating both natural and social science approaches (Pierce et al 2001;Manfredo 2008;Dickman 2010;Redpath et al 2013).…”